The Man and the Mercenary
by Cloud Strife-KH
Summary: A lone traveler meets a mysterious man who helps him out.


The Man and the Mercenary   
The wind was strong that day, As the mercenary traveled across the seemingly endless sea of sand to reach the town. "Ugh!" he said as a wave of sand blew upon him. He used the Crimson cape on his back to prevent the sand from getting in his eyes. the wind then stoped. After a while,he arrived at his destination. When he arrived, he was thirsty and tired from his trek across the baren wastland of sand. A man approached him, "What happened to you?" he said in a low tone of voice. Before he could reply the man interupted by syaing, "No matter, it seems you could use some help, Follow me."   
He followed the man with slightly long brown hair and a blade that seemed to resemble a gun. "In here" the man said to the weary traveler. He was pointing to a house with only a few light on. they both entered and sat down on a nearby chair and couch. "Whats your name?" the man asked. "Cloud" he replied. "Nice to meet you cloud, i'm Leon." "Thank you Leon, i appreciate this." "Don't worry about it It looked like you needed help so I offered. The is a bed and lots of food and water here for you make your self at home." Cloud then went to the kitchen and drank some water and then went to bed.   
Cloud awoke early in order to get a head start on his journey with out alerting Leon. as Cloud was closing the door leon was standing outside of the door and spoke to Cloud."So your leaving now eh?" "Yes I am"cloud replied. "where are you gonna go?" "Wherever fate decides for me." "I see"Leon said."Before you go i must ask you some thing, have you ever seen this man?" He held up a picture of a man with silver hair and a black cape on. Cloud thought for a moment. "No" he then said "I don't think i have." leon put the picture away. "Ok, thanks." he said before turning around and begam walking tword the house. "Good luck to you my friend!" Cloud slightly smiled and then swung his blade, the buster sword, covered in bandages onto his right shoulder. "Thanks" he said in reply.   
Night had begun to fall on the forest in which cloud treked upon. This did not deter him from his goal of reaching ther next town. Suddly...two blood red eyed appeard in the haze of the path before him. A black wolf then leaped at cloud with its fangs bared straight at him. Cloud was quick to react by rolling to the left of this mighty creatures attack. He then swung the massive blade at the wolf's back leaving a slender wound accros the back. It wasnt enought to kill it, but it did force the wolf to retreat into the dephths of the forsest. Cloud then continued on his way to the next town. However he was unaware that some one was watching him behind. This man followed Cloud close behind but far enough to not be suspected...   
It was sunrise. The mercenary took the final step up the last hill tword the next town. he took a minute to over look the sight that was upon him. As he sat down to rest he heard a voice behind him. "hello there young warrior." Cloud quickly turned around and saw a man in a black cape and long silver hair gazing at him. "Who are you?" Cloud asked this mystic warrior with a long, slender blade at his side. "I am merely a traveler, just like you" "I just happened to be on the same route as you thats all." "hmph..ok than..."Cloud then said. Suddley he remembered what Leon had asked him. This was that man..the man in the picture.. Just as the man was walking off cloud spoke "Whats your name traveler?" The man them paused and looked at Cloud. "Sephiroth" He said.   
Then Cloud heard some thing comming from the way of the path in which he came to this hill from. "Don't let him leave!" came from a voice in the distance. Cloud then stood up to see who was coming. It was Leon,chasing after the man in the black cape. Leon was then standing by Cloud catching his breath. "This man.." he said "This man is the one i am looking for." "Thats a good thing you stalled him long enough for me to get here." Sephiroth started to slighlty laugh to himself. "You finnaly got me eh Leon? Well now that you are here lets settle this shall we?" The man then drew his sword,ready to attack at any given moment. Leon then said "Lets do this Sephiroth!" Cloud simply watched the 2 men as they prepered to engeage in battle.be fore the fight could ensue, Cloud took up his sword in hand prepared to fight. "I don't know the reason you 2 are about to do this, but there is one thing i know for a fact. I am not going to let this man, who gave me a place to stay and some water to drink be killed." The red caped fighter took his sword into its battle position and stood strongly beside Leon. Leon just stood there ready to fight,but before the battle began Leon looked tword Cloud and simply smiled said,"Thanks"   
Sephiroth charged into Leon with his sword in the postion as if he was prepared for a powerful downward slash. Leon reacted by holding his Weapon above his head to stop Spehiroths attack. There was a loud clash of steel when the black caped mans masamune collides with leon's gunblade. Cloud then dashed up to sephiroth in the same position that spehiroth was previously in, however the man leaped back evading any damage from Cloud's mighty blade.Ssephiroth then took a blazing fast swipe at Cloud' left arm. Cloud was unable to react to such speed with a defense or evasion but his steel shoulder guard stoped any wounds but it was shattered into pieces no longer protecting his left shoulder. The force shook him up a bit but he regained his footing and lept after him once again. CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! over and over as Cloud's blade ramed into The black caped man's deadly sword. Sephiroth lept back regaining some strenth for the vigilant warriors attack. Cloud was alos taking a breather from the enemy's might. Leon the charged at Spehiroth with strong determination to stop this man. he quickly side slashed Sephiroth missing his body but tearing some of his cape. Leon was attacking sephiroth like mad. Not alowing his opponent to retaliate until Leon finnaly hit the man in the left of his chest.it was not a mortal wound, and he could still put up a decent fight with it ailing him."You are very good." sephiroth said with a voice as if he was starting to weaken. "But now I am through messing around."   
Leon was taking a few breaths waiting for the enemy's next move. sephiroth looked tword Cloud then Leon, then back to Cloud. With increadible speed he rushed at Cloud ith his swords tip aiming at Cloud's chest. Cloud was quick enough to react by moving to the side just avoiding the blade's tip fgrom pircing his chect however, the blade cut his right arm rather badly. "Ahhh!" was heard from cloud after sephiroth had slashed his arm. the pain caused him to drop his buster sword on to the ground. Its weight was slighlty to much for him to continue using in the battle. he was still armed with his strength and his talon-like gauntlet on his left hand. Then, Sephiroth began to attack Leon with the same ferocity. After about the 4th sword connection, Sephiroth cut a gash into Leon's right thigh section of his leg.Sephiroth begam to laugh "hahahaha...." I don't see how you think you could have defeated me. Not even two of you could..I suppose i am just too strong for you." the a voice came from behind sephiroth."If i were you...I would think twice before i'd say that!!!" Clouds arms were suddley around sephiroth's waist. Grasping tightly to him with both hands, and his left hand's talons were diging into Sephiroth's flesh."What is this!?!" sephiroth yelled."Its the end of you!"Cloud replied. He then knelt down andmoved sephiroth to his side. "URRRAAHHHH!!!!!!" cloud had used all of his remaining might to launch sephiroth as high as he could into the sky in front of him. "AHH!!!" Sephiroth then yelled into the endless blue of the morning sky. Cloud then yelled "LEON!" Leon nodded "RIGHT!" Cloud then knelt down on one knee facing Leon he was bracing himself for what was next.   
Leon then charged at full speed directly at Cloud ignoring his injury. he was then about 3 feet from cloud when he lept up onto Cloud's shoulders still on his feet and then kicked off of Cloud performing an aerial backflip right to where Sephiroth is. he spun aronud to look directly at him with his gunblade still in his hand. Sephiroth's eyes were wide open when leon appeared before him. "HIYA! HIYA! HIYA!" one, two, three slashes were delivered from Leon to Sephiroth. sending him at an even greater force to the ground than the original speed.leon then landed on the ground safely kneeling on one knee, still ignoring his bleeding thigh. he was facing Cloud, and cloud was facing him. they each glanced at each other and sent a smile to the others face. They then stood up at the same time and walked over to Sephiroths body. it was just lying there...motionless. leon looked at Cloud and then said "Thank you. He would have killed me with out your help." Cloud was then picking up his buster sword with his left hand when he said "I was only repaying the favor." "heh..well thanks." Leon said. Cloud then said"No problem." "Now lets egt to the town we need to tend to our wounds." leon nodded and they both walked of into the sunrise to the next town. before they were off the hill on which the battle took place, Cloud looked back to see sephiroths body. however, he was not there. There was no body in sight, only a large blood stained patch of grass. He was gone. Cloud continued walking with leon to the town thinking "How could he have survived? Why was Leon so persistant in killing him> why was that man so persistant in killing Leon? and lastly..Where did that man go....?" 


End file.
